Most of you wouldn’t even be alive when the first mouse (computer mouse) of history. It was in 1964, by the hand of Doug Engelbart. An invention that has revolutionized the way we use our machines. His presentation took place in front of 1,000 engineers from the Stanford Research Institute. Not much is known about it, but today we’re going to show you everything we know.
Today, PC mice are genuine works of cutting-edge engineering, with a host of features that allow us to have the best possible performance when it comes to… moving the cursor on the screen. However, its history did not start like that and you will be surprised at the true origin of this device that we use so much on a daily basis.
What did the first mouse in history look like?
Its function was very basic, a simple demonstration of what would end up being an actual mouse. He did the groundwork. It was made from a block of wood with two metal wheels. which made it possible to move on a flat surface. All handmade with materials he had at home, so it was impossible to create another one exactly the same.
Its connection was logically done by cable, and its buttons were not like those we know today. It was just one (not two, or more like in the current ones) you could click with and that’s it. It would be red, and with a mechanism like a hotel bell button. Everything in a very basic and simple way, but it worked.
This led to new ideas from companies and improvements to the prototype introduced by Doug Engelbart, which was originally “the XY position indicator for a display system”. Slightly more complicated name, right? It was then called a mouse in the lab itself to make it easier to refer to.
However, it wasn’t until 1983 that Steve Jobs launched the first computer with a new model of built-in mouse. That’s when he exploded, making his ball mouse the best-selling mouse in the world. More than half of those on the market were his.
In conclusion. Doug Engelbart’s breakthrough invention not only changed the way we use computers, but also inspired others to improve upon the original prototype and take it to a whole new level.
The patent for this invention corresponds to its creator, however, the copyright they have been kept by the SMI (Stanford Research Institute) worth $10,000.
Since the creation of the first mouse, we have seen new technologies such as touchpad, touchscreen and other improved input devices. However, the story of the mouse remains proof that even the simplest inventions can change the world in significant ways.
Finally, Doug died in 2013. Before that, one of his sentences after seeing what his invention had become was: “I’m surprised the name stuck”
